Swift deployment of equipment for the maintenance of wind turbines is ever more important as increasingly this renewal power source is relied upon by large populations.
Maintenance and repair of tall structures, such as wind turbines, is typically conducted using cranes, rigid suspension structures or by relying on pre-existing platforms for maintenance to be carried out. Another alternative is for individuals to scale these structures with the aid of harnesses and ropes to carry out maintenance and repair work without the use of heavy machinery or maintenance apparatus.
The following prior art documents are acknowledged: DE102010011365, DE202009002054, US2011/0167633, DE10118906 and DE19909698.
However, the use of cranes and rigid suspension structures is inefficient as this heavy machinery cannot be straightforwardly and quickly transported between structures in need of maintenance. The production and use of these machines is costly, and a further disadvantage is their own need for expensive and time consuming repair.
Reliance on pre-existing platforms carries the disadvantage that often these are not adjustable and therefore the work that can be carried out from the platform is limited. They are also costly to produce and therefore an alternative which can be cost effectively and speedily deployed is required.
The amount of maintenance work is also limited where individuals use harnesses to scale these large structures. As well as the obvious safety considerations, it is also an inefficient exercise as it takes engineers a considerable time to move around a structure and often they will not be able to take all the required equipment in a single trip.
A further disadvantage with current apparatus is that poor weather conditions can limit the extent to which work can be carried out on a turbine. Heavy wind, cold temperatures, adverse humidity and/or rain can prevent the deployment of these apparatus as, without adequate protection, the repair equipment and section of the turbine to be maintained could be compromised. Maintenance work of a wind turbine blade is also problematic where the ambient temperature of the blade is too low.
The object of the invention is to therefore alleviate at least these problems.